10 First Grade Apps Kids Need Now

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Looking for fun, interactive games for your kid? The best first grade apps—including reading apps for first graders and first grade math apps—focus on foundational skills and reinforce classroom concepts. Keep little fingers busy (and young minds sharp) with these engaging, educational apps created for first grade and beyond.

Click on an item in the set below to see more info.

Even Monsters Get Sick

This beautifully illustrated eBook features a gently captivating story with an age-appropriate pace, starring a boy named Harry and his pet monster Zub, who is suffering from a serious case of the sniffles.

This app has achieved the perfect balance of interactive elements and good old-fashioned storytelling, with games that kids will want to play again and again.

Brainzy

With over 300 games, songs, and stories, the Brainzy program encourages kids to learn through play. These games play on both computers and iPads, and they help first graders practice 30 essential math and reading skills.

Our personal favorite Brainzy game for first graders is the number blaster. In this tetris-style game, kids practice number pairing and mental addition while 'blasting' the numbers. First graders need to add quickly—the game's over when the numbers reach the top of the castle!

Sid’s Science Fair

Don't be fooled by the name—this app isn't just for little Einsteins. In fact, color and shape recognition, graphing, sorting and categorizing give this app a mathematical boost.

Kids will recognize Sid the Science Kid from the popular PBS series. Follow Sid as he makes a virtual loop around the science fair, stopping at various projects and inviting users to take a closer peek.

Barefoot World Atlas

Take a trip around the world with this interactive 3D globe! With just the swipe of a finger you'll travel across colorful continents that are packed full of information and pictures.

Beginning readers can use the voice narration feature to follow along as the narrator reads. Don't forget to check out a real-life photograph of each item after you've read about it.

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1st Grade Math: Splash Math Worksheets

Dive under the sea with this colorful, comprehensive math practice app. Structured like a traditional workbook, its interactive features offer little learners the chance to swipe and tap their way through problems focusing on place value, addition, subtraction, money math, telling time, simple geometry and word problems.

The quiz-style format is jazzed up with beautiful aquatic graphics that kids interact with as they answer each question.

Princess Fairy Tale Maker

Here’s a storytelling workshop fit for a fairy princess! This imaginative app combines storytelling, speaking skills and art in one clever package.

Little artists choose from 32 backgrounds and over 100 adorable characters to create their own scenes. Re-size characters, move them around, or even add unique drawings with a crayon or colored pencil. Pressing “record” allows kids to tell a story as they animate the scene with just the swipe of a finger. Continue creating stories using different scenes, or opt to play with the color-fill coloring pages. With this feature, kids can fill each part of the coloring scene with a pattern, animated sparkles, or a solid color.

This fun story creation will encourage kids’ creativity, and greatly improve both their literacy and their aptitude for public speaking.

I SPY Spooky Mansion

A ghoulish mansion beckons kids from beyond a creaking gate—do you dare enter? I SPY Spooky Mansion sends kids on a hunt around a haunted estate with instructions to find a variety of eerie elements in a series of dusty rooms.

But wait—there's a catch! Children must solve riddles to collect the items on their spooky scavenger hunt, which will unlock areas of the mansion to continue their quest to find all of the hidden items.

iDiary for Kids

An interactive diary, journal and scrapbook all in one, this app is flexible enough for younger children but engaging enough to keep the interest of older kids.

Kids can write a new entry every day, with the option of adding in drawings, stickers and photos to give their journal entries that personal touch.

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Art Set

Go beyond doodles and scribbles with this amazing drawing app that features gorgeous visuals and realistic graphics.

Choose from a wide range of art tools, including pastels, art pencils, crayons, markers and lush oil paints. Check out the seemingly endless color drawer that covers the whole spectrum.

Lola’s Math Train

All aboard! For train-loving youngsters, there’s no better way to practice basic math than to choo-choo-choose this app for your collection.

Lola’s Math Train combines a mix of elementary equations—including addition and subtraction—and puzzles, perfectly suited for the first-grade age group. Count images and select the number represented, complete number puzzles, identify patterns and order objects from smallest to largest.

Motion Math: Wings

Forget Angry Birds—help your little one soar to the head of her math class with this avian-themed pre-multiplication app.

Tilting the smart device to aim, she'll be building her spatial and cognitive awareness as she plays. Kids will explore the concepts behind multiplication with easily understandable dot visuals before actually having to solve equations.